Residual stresses in thermoplastic composites—A study of the literature—Part II: Experimental techniques

This study forms part of a literature survey on residual stresses in continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. After identification of the factors responsible for the thermal residual stress build-up in Part I [Parlevliet PP, Bersee HEN, Beukers A. Residual stresses in thermoplastic composites – A study of the literature – Part I: Formation of residual stresses. Composites Part A – Appl Sci Manuf, in press, doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.12.025], experimental techniques to determine the magnitude and distribution of these stresses on various mechanical levels are outlined. The techniques are placed in the following categories: techniques utilising the intrinsic composite constituents’ material properties; techniques employing embedded “foreign” stress sensors; techniques based on in-plane and out-of-plane deformations, and destructive techniques.